Bilingual reading

The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and childless.

The LORD’s angel appeared to the woman, and said to her, “See now, you are barren and childless; but you shall conceive and bear a son.

Now therefore please beware and drink no wine nor strong drink, and don’t eat any unclean thing;

for, behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son. No razor shall come on his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb. He shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A man of God came to me, and his face was like the face of the angel of God, very awesome. I didn’t ask him where he was from, neither did he tell me his name;

but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink. Don’t eat any unclean thing, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’”

Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and said, “Oh, Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us, and teach us what we should do to the child who shall be born.”

God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field; but Manoah, her husband, wasn’t with her.

The woman hurried and ran, and told her husband, saying to him, “Behold, the man who came to me that day has appeared to me.”

Manoah arose and followed his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” He said, “I am.”

Manoah said, “Now let your words happen. What shall the child’s way of life and mission be?”

The LORD’s angel said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her beware.

She may not eat of anything that comes of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. Let her observe all that I commanded her.”

Manoah said to the LORD’s angel, “Please stay with us, that we may make a young goat ready for you.”

The LORD’s angel said to Manoah, “Though you detain me, I won’t eat your bread. If you will prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah didn’t know that he was the LORD’s angel.

Manoah said to the LORD’s angel, “What is your name, that when your words happen, we may honor you?”

The LORD’s angel said to him, “Why do you ask about my name, since it is incomprehensible?”

So Manoah took the young goat with the meal offering, and offered it on the rock to the LORD. Then the angel did an amazing thing as Manoah and his wife watched.

For when the flame went up toward the sky from off the altar, the LORD’s angel ascended in the flame of the altar. Manoah and his wife watched; and they fell on their faces to the ground.

But the LORD’s angel didn’t appear to Manoah or to his wife any more. Then Manoah knew that he was the LORD’s angel.

Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God.”

But his wife said to him, “If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he wouldn’t have received a burnt offering and a meal offering at our hand, and he wouldn’t have shown us all these things, nor would he have told us such things as these at this time.”

The woman bore a son and named him Samson. The child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

The LORD’s Spirit began to move him in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

وعادَ بَنو إِسْرائيلَ فصَنَعوا الشَّرَّ في عَينَيِ الرَّبّ. فأَسلَمهمُ الرَّبُّ إِلى يَدِ الفَلِسطينِيِّينَ أَربَعينَ سَنَة

وكانَ رَجُلٌ مِن صُرْعَة، مِن عَشيرةِ دانٍ ٱسمُه مَنوح، وكانَتِ ٱمرَأَتُه عاقِرًا لا تَلِد

فتَراءَى مَلاكُ الرَّبِّ لِلمَرأَةِ وقالَ لَها: «إِنَّكِ عاقِرٌ لم تَلِدي، ولٰكِنَّكِ ستَحمِلينَ وتَلِدينَ ٱبنًا

فٱنتَبِهي الآنَ ولا تَشرَبي خَمرًا ولا مُسكِرًا، ولا تأكُلي شَيئًا نَجِسًا

لِأَنَّكِ ستَحمِلينَ وتَلِدينَ ٱبنًا لا يَعْلو رأسَه موسًى، لِأَنَّ الصَّبِيَّ يَكونُ نَذيرًا للهِ مِنَ البَطْن، وهو يَبدأُ بِخَلاصِ إِسْرائيلَ مِن يَدِ الفَلِسطينِيِّين»

فجاءَتِ المَرأَةُ وكَلَّمَت زَوجَها وقالَت لَه: «جاءَني رَجُلُ الله، ومَنظَرُه كمَنْظَرِ مَلاكِ الله، لَه هَيبَةٌ عَظيمة، وأَنا لم أَسأَلْه مِن أَينَ هو، وهو لم يُخْبِرني بِٱسمِه

وقالَ لي: إِنَّكِ ستَحمِلينَ وتَلِدينَ ٱبنًا. فلا تَشرَبي الآنَ خَمرًا ولا مُسكِرًا ولا تأكُلي شَيئًا نَجِسًا، لِأَنَّ الصَّبِيَّ يَكونُ نَذيرًا للهِ مِن البَطنِ إِلى يَومِ وَفاتِه»

فٱبتَهَلَ مَنوحُ إِلى الرَّبِّ وقال: «أَسأَلُكَ يا رَبُّ أَن يَعودَ إِلَينا رَجُلُ اللهِ الَّذي أَرسَلتَه ويُعَلِّمَنا ما نَصنَعُ بِالصَّبِيِّ المَولود»

فسَمِعَ اللهُ صَوتَ مَنوح، فأَتى مَلاكُ اللهِ ثانِيَةً إِلى المَرأَةِ وهي في الحَقْلِ، ولم يَكُنْ مَنوحُ زوجُها معَها

فأسرَعَتِ المَرأَةُ راكِضَةً وأَخبَرَت زَوجَها وقالَت لَه: «لقَد تَراءَى لِيَ الرَّجُلُ الَّذي أَتاني في ذٰلك اليَوم»

فقامَ مَنوحُ وٱنطَلَقَ وَراءَ زَوجَتِه وأَقبَلَ على الرَّجُلِ وقالَ لَه: «أَأَنتَ الرَّجُلُ الَّذي تَكَلَّمَ معَ المَرأة؟» قال: «أَنا هو»

فقالَ مَنوح: «والآنَ، إِذا تَمَّ قَولُك، فكَيفَ يَكونُ التَّصَرُّفُ في أَمرِ الصَّبِيِّ وماذا يُعمَلُ بِه؟»

فقالَ مَلاكُ الرَّبِّ لِمَنوح: «لِتَحتَرِزِ المَرأَةُ من كُلِّ ما قُلتُ لَها

مِن كُلِّ ما يَخرُجُ مِن كَرمَةِ الخَمرِ لا تَأكُل، وخَمرًا ومُسكِرًا لا تَشْرَبْ، ولا تَأكُلْ شَيئًا نَجِسًا، بل تَحفَظْ كُلَّ ما أَمرتُها بِه»

فقالَ مَنوحُ لِمَلاكِ الرَّبّ: «دَعْنا نَستَبقيكَ ونُعِدُّ لَكَ جَديًا مِنَ المَعِز»

فقالَ مَلاكُ الرَّبِّ لِمَنوح: «إِن أَنتَ ٱستَبقَيتَني، لم آكُلْ مِن خُبزِكَ، أَمَّا إِن صَنَعتَ مُحرقَةً فلِلرَّبِّ أَصعِدْها». (لِأَنَّ مَنوحَ لم يَكُنْ يَعلَمُ أَنَّه مَلاكُ الرَّبّ)

فقالَ مَنوحُ لِمَلاكِ الرَّبّ: «ما ٱسمُكَ، حتَّى إِذا تَمَّ قَولُكَ نُكرِمَك؟»

فقالَ لَه مَلاكُ الرَّبّ: لِمَ سُؤالُكَ عنِ ٱسْمي، وٱسْمي عَجيب؟»

فأَخَذَ مَنوحُ جَديَ المَعِزِ والتَّقدِمة، وأَصعَدَهما على الصَّخرةِ لِلرَّبّ، لَلَّذي يَعمَلُ عَمَلًا عَجيبًا، ومَنوحُ وزَوجَتُه يَنظُران

فكانَ، عِندَ ٱرتِفاعِ اللَّهيبِ عن المَذبَحِ نَحوَ السَّماء، أَنَّ مَلاكَ الرَّبِّ صَعِدَ في لَهيبِ المَذبَح، ومَنوحُ وزَوجَتُه يَنظُران، فسَقَطا على وَجهَيهما إِلى الأَرْض

ولَم يَعُدْ مَلاكُ الرَّبِّ يَتَراءَى لِمَنوحَ وزَوجَتِه. فَعلِمَ مَنوحُ حينَئِذٍ أَنَّه مَلاكُ الرَّبّ

فقالَ مَنوحُ لِٱمرَأَتِه: «إِنَّنا مَوتًا سَنَموت، لِأَنَّنا عايَنَّا الله»

فقالَت لَه ٱمرَأَتُه: «لو أَنَّ الرَّبَّ أَرادَ أَن يُميتَنا، لَما قَبِلَ مِن أَيدينا مُحرَقَةً وتَقدِمةً، ولا كانَ أَرانا ذٰلك كُلَّه، ولَما أَسمَعَنا مِثلَ ذٰلك في هٰذا الوَقْت»

ووَلَدَتِ المَرأَةُ ٱبنًا وسَمَّته شِمْشون. وكَبِرَ الصَّبِيُّ وبارَكَه الرَّبّ

وبَدَأَ رُوحُ الرَّبِّ يُحَرِّكُه في مُعَسكَرِ دان، بَينَ صُرعَةَ وأَشْتاؤُول